


Fairy Tales are Overrated

by musikat18



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Captain Drama King, Couple Stuffs, F/M, Fluff, Sneaky Jim is Sneaky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 07:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16849735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikat18/pseuds/musikat18
Summary: You and Leonard are toying with the idea of marriage, and you're kind of interested in keeping things simple-- real simple. Jim, one of your oldest and closest friends, has something to say about it.





	Fairy Tales are Overrated

There was a familiar whoosh of the door to your shared quarters, but you didn’t have to look up to see who it was. No, this was a routine you two had been going through for about four years, now. You had no reason to believe it was anyone else, and you were right, as usual.

Bones slipped an arm around your waist and pulled you closer to kiss your cheek from behind, “Evening, darlin’. If evening actually is still a thing out here.”

“I like to believe it is,” you smiled a little and turned to hand him a coffee from the replicator, starting on tea for yourself. “Have a good day in the medbay? What are you feeling like for dinner?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he settled on the small couch after putting away his tricorder and PADD, “and I picked yesterday. It’s your turn to pick.”

“You know I always try to be considerate like that after away missions.”

“I know, but I like our little system. Besides, you know I’m not picky.”

You nodded, “Computer, two small plates of chicken parm.” Once you had both plates, you carried them and your own up to the couch, and Bones scooted over to make room for you to curl up into his side.

“So, see anything fun down there?”

“Well, space isn’t exactly fun, but the people were nice. They gave us each a gift to show respect, and I thought you’d like it more than me, seeing as you’re into rocks.” 

You beamed as he opened a small wooden box and revealed a decent-sized green crystal cluster, “That’s the same type of non-earth silicon dioxide compound we’ve been trying to classify!”

“Maybe you’ll call it Leonite,” he chuckled. You leaned into his arm.

“I just might, Leo,” you placed a teasing emphasis on his name. “It’s very scientific-sounding.”

“Leo was a skinny, lanky kid from Georgia,” he traced the curves in your hands as you took the box from his. 

You smiled up at him, “I wouldn’t discount him. I hear he’s doing pretty well for himself, now.”

Something changed behind his eyes, “Yes. I think he is, too.”

“Leonard?” you set the box aside, and he took both of your hands in his, long fingers smoothing over the backs of your hands.

“Do you remember what we talked about about a year and a half ago?”

Of course you did; you’d been dating for two and a half years before you had felt it proper to broach the subject of where to take your relationship next. You were convinced that the M-word was going to scare him off, thanks to his painful relationship history, but he had been as gentle as he always was with you.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “You said you wanted more time to think on it.”

“And there has been more time,” he said slowly. “So I’ve thought about it...a lot, actually. I think I’m ready to try this again.”

Your eyes widened, “Leonard, what are you saying? Are you really sure?”

“We’re practically married already, darlin’. Might as well make it official, if you’re still looking for that.”

You couldn’t contain yourself, taking a hand back to cup his cheek and kiss him softly.

“I’d be happy to, if you’re ready to,” you smiled.

His own happiness mirrored yours, “That’s great. I was thinking I could ask Jim tomorrow if he’d be willing to oversee something small.”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could tell him,” you suggested. Part of why Jim had joined Starfleet was on Pike’s dare, but it certainly helped that you were enlisting, too. Winona Kirk had been a friend of your mother’s for a long time, often taking you to visit Jim through your childhood. If you were going to marry his best friend, you wanted to be the first to tell your childhood companion the good news.

“Sure,” Bones squeezed your hand. “The outcome’s the same, either way.”

“And I’m sure he’ll be happy no matter who tells him,” you said confidently.

-

“What do you mean, you two might not do a wedding?” Jim gaped at you the next day.

“That’s not what I said,” you leaned on your lab stool. “I said, we don’t want a lot of frills and fancy stuff. Neither of us are very extravagant people.”

“But not even a ceremony? Just me and you and Bones and the papers?”

You moved around your table to bring the magnifier down over your new cluster, “It’s not like there’s a lot of time and resources to prepare a wedding in deep space, anyway.”

“And that’s fine, but like...you don’t even want other people there?”

“Literally all I want to know is if you’ll officiate for us,” you sighed. “If you want to fight someone on a big white wedding, take it up with Bones. I am completely okay with not going all-out.”

“Absolutely,” Jim said, turning on his heel and striding out of the lab. 

“Wait, does that mean you’ll do it?!”

You shook your head at Jim’s back.

_Dear god, Jim, please don’t turn into a momzilla over this,_ you thought as you went back to work.

-

“Y/N, do you have a moment?”

A couple days had passed since you broke the news to Jim, and he seemed to have warmed up to the idea of a very, very simple marriage. He’d asked you several times when you two wanted to have him officially oversee you two vowing and promising and things, where you wanted space on the Enterprise set aside or if you just wanted to meet in his ready room, those sort of things.

“No problem, Jim,” you waved him in and pushed your goggles back over your forehead. He was poking his upper half into the room with Janice not that far behind him.

“The higher-ups are ordering new dress uniforms for everyone, I was wondering if Jan and I could have a moment of your time to update your measurements,” he asked politely.

You waved them both inside and stepped away from your table, “Sure, if it’ll only take a minute.”

Janice gently pushed you towards the geochem lockers, “They want as accurate measurements as possible, so we’ll have to do it in...less than the uniform.”

“Oh,” you furrowed your brow at the oddness of the request, “okay.” You didn’t question it as you held up your arms for Janice to measure around your waist. “How fitted are these uniforms supposed to be?”

“...Well, they’re trying to flatter everyone, so they want everything to be as close as they can get.”

“Interesting,” you pursed your lips as she called out a couple numbers to Jim outside. “I guess it does help diplomatic relations if we all look extra-snappy?”

“That’s the spirit!” Jim called. Janice started measuring hollow-to-hemline, and you became even more confused.

“Are they really thinking about going long?”

“...It’s for the inseam?” Janice raised her eyebrows.

“I guess they can’t release designs to you yet, so you have to prepare for everything.”

“Better to be overprepared than underprepared is the best lesson I’ve ever learned on this ship,” Jan laughed, rolling her holotape back up. You slipped your blue uniform back on to find Jim looking down happily at his PADD-- too happily.

“Jim, I know that look,” you warned.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it, Y/N,” he waved his hand. “Thanks for letting us steal your time away.”

“No problem,” you nodded at your friend and captain as they made their way out of the room. You didn’t find anything out of the ordinary about the encounter and when you looked at the clock, it was about time for you to meet Leonard in the mess hall for lunch. 

“Hey, darlin’,” he squeezed your hand as you both walked the the replicator. “How was your morning?”

“Fairly uneventful,” you mused. “Has Jim come by your department, too?”

“Jim is always in medbay, never for medical reasons, but he’s there,” Bones said dryly. “But no, he hasn’t come by yet.”

“Oh,” you frowned to one side and made your order. “He came by today saying it was my turn to get fitted for new dress uniforms they’re rolling out, but he didn’t say anything to any of the other geologists.”

“Maybe he’s actually trying to maintain some order and go by alphabetical?” Leonard offered, but that didn’t seem right; Jim never imposed order if he didn’t have to. He was a very relaxed captain when he didn’t have to put his foot down about anything. It was Leonard’s headache and your bliss.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out,” you shrugged.

But Jim didn’t come back to the lab, nor did he swing by medbay, if Leonard’s reports to your curiosity were to be believed. 

That should have been your first sign that Jim was up to something.

-

He came back not even two days later, hands folded neatly behind his back and an amicable smile on his face.

“Hey, Jim,” you nodded. “Back for more crew measurements?”

“No, nothing like that,” he shook his head. “I just came by to chat. If you’re not too busy?”

“I can multitask,” you said, and he took that as an invitation to sit on one of the extra stools by your workspace.

“That green crystal is really nice,” he propped his chin in his hands and leaned on the table.

“Thanks, it was Bones’ gift from the Betans, he figured I might want to study it,” you explained. “Which, I did. I really, really did.”

“Typical thoughtful old Bones,” Jim said proudly. “Do you like it?”

You looked up, not really understanding, “I mean...I like all kinds of rocks.”

“No, I mean, do you think it’s got...aesthetic value.”

Your brow furrowed, “Like, as jewelry?”

“Sure.”

“Well, what kind of jewelry?”

“Something small...earrings, maybe...a ring?” Jim shifted in his seat. “I’m looking for something for a friend and you two have similar tastes.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’m a real authority on jewelry, Jim. You know I try to keep things simple, and people you know definitely have more of a...taste for the dramatic.”

“No, no, she’s super into the simple stuff, too,” Jim said quickly. “So what would you want if you were her and you were looking for something really functional, like, that you could wear all the time?”

“Well,” you began, “definitely nothing too big-- the stone could get damaged or lost on an away mission, or something. Maybe a white stone, since it goes with everything. Probably set in some kind of durable silver metal, too, since that’s the metal in our uniforms. ...Wait, Jim, do you have a secret datemate I don’t know about?!”

“Nope, just really good friends,” he said thoughtfully. “On that note, I’m kind of looking at making a scrapbook or something? For you and Bones...since you’re not doing the whole wedding thing. I figured I should probably use blue, but how do you feel about pairing it with white and silver?”

You gaped as Jim pulled out a big ring with color swatches on it, taking only a moment to flip to the ones he wanted. Clearly, he wanted to talk to you about more than just rocks.

“Uh...I mean, the blue makes sense? We’re both in sciences. I mean, that light blue’s a lot closer to Bones’  med smock than our shared science blue, but it looks fine?” your eyes were wide and you had no idea how to respond. “This is...all rather sudden. And weird. Weirder than normal for you.”

“Nonsense, Y/N,” Jim waved a hand dismissively. “I’m just trying to do something nice. Speaking of nice, Sulu got some really nice new flowers in the botany labs. You should go check them out sometime. Bones is a sucker for flowers.”

“I…” you had literally no idea what Jim even wanted, anymore. He was jumping from subject to subject so quickly that you were having a hard time working and following at the same time. When you shook out your head to focus and opened your mouth to speak again, his comm beeped.

“Sorry, Y/N, I have a delivery to oversee. Thanks for the talk, though!”

Without another word, the blond man had disappeared from your lab as though he’d never even been there in the first place.

-

“Has Jim been acting...weird, lately?” you asked, chewing on a salad across the table from Leonard. 

“Jim’s always been weird. You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

“I had the strangest conversation with him the other day,” you explained. “He was kind of all over the place...asking about colors and plants and a gift for...I don’t know, I’m guessing Carol or Nyota.”

“What kind of gift?” Bones quirked his eyebrows in that unmistakable Bones-y way.

“He mentioned a couple different kinds of jewelry, but I think he settled on a ring.”

You hadn’t seen a face journey in a while, but you watched with curiosity as Leonard underwent one himself. First, his brow furrowed in a confusion that matched your own, but the creases in his forehead slowly relaxed as he processed the information you had shared until his eyebrows disappeared momentarily into his hairline, only to drop frustratedly back over his woodsy eyes.

“Leonard?” you set your fork back down beside your plate. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“I can’t believe that corn-fed drama queen,” he grumbled, scooching his chair back and placing his hands on his hips as Jim walked into the mess. “Jim!”

The captain froze in his tracks with a sheepish grin at the sight of his clearly agitated doctor friend. “Hey there, Bones...enjoying your lunch date?”

“I’m sorry if I’m a little confused about who made you senior wedding planner for a wedding that isn’t even really a wedding!”

You were about to tell Bones to calm down, but you took a moment to put the pieces together. The so-called dress uniform measurements that only you seemed to get...asking about rings...telling you to talk to Sulu about flowers...it only made sense, and even you felt a little betrayed that Jim had tried to plan this all without discussing it straightforwardly with either of you. 

“Uh, are you two getting an official marriage certificate?” Jim placed his hands on his hips. “Then you’re getting married, and you two of all people deserve a nice wedding!”

“But what in the hell made you think you should be in charge of it?”

“Well, the way Y/N was talking, it sounded like you didn’t want to have a wedding,” Jim crossed his arms protectively, “and I get that your first marriage didn’t go so hot, but I don’t think it’s fair of you to keep Y/N from having that experience if she wants it.”

You shrunk back at their bickering, thankful that the mess had mostly cleared out before now.

“I didn’t say he didn’t want to have a wedding ceremony,” you said firmly, trying to keep yourself from raising your voice. “I just thought it wasn’t possible and I figured it would be better to keep things to the lowest common denominator, anyway.”

“What made you think I wouldn’t want to try something small if you wanted it?” Leonard’s expression had softened, and you struggled to get your thought process out.

“I just figured you’d see a white wedding as bad luck,” you said honestly. “And I really am okay with keeping it as simple as possible.”

“But this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life!” Jim argued, “You should be able to indulge and show off how happy you two are!”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, unable to keep from boiling over, “Well, if it’s going to make the love of my life and my best friend argue over things that literally don’t even matter, then I don’t think it’s worth any of it!”

Clenching your fists, you stormed from the mess, leaving your lunch behind with the distinct feeling that you would much prefer the rocks in your lab than food, anyway.

-

You were hunched over a stalagmite, taking notes when you heard a knock on the doorway to your office.

“If you’re an unfairly handsome senior officer, then you have two seconds to back away from my door before I throw this rock at your head.”

“I come in peace,” you heard Bones’ deep Southern drawl, but you didn’t look up. “I noticed someone only got to eat about a quarter of their lunch, and as CMO, I’m required to ensure that all crewmen are receiving enough food to maintain good nutrition.”

When you looked up, he had a sizeable bowl of your favorite guilty food, and you couldn’t not invite him in.

“Tell me what upset you most, first,” he said, leaning against your desk.

“Well, looking back on it, I feel awful for insinuating that I don’t want to get married after all, so I apologize if it came across that way, because absolutely nothing could ever make me want to not be Dr. Mrs. McCoy.”

“Or for me to be Mr. Dr. Y/L/N, but go on if you need to.”

“The second part is obviously that I really don’t want you and Jim to fight over something as small as me suggesting we don’t do a traditional wedding ceremony. That’s all.”

He quirked up the corner of his mouth in a smile and gently rubbed your arm, “Okay, my turn.” Leonard took in a deep breath before sighing, “I was mad at first that Jim wanted to plan a big flashy party without us because I was worried he’d make it all about what he thought was best for us, but I was wrong. I’m actually kind of touched that he was so concerned about your feelings.”

“That’s Jimmy for you,” you laughed a little. “We’ve been looking out for each other since he had bruises on his arms and I tore up all my little dresses climbing all the cliffs I could find because I saw something shiny.”

Leonard smiled a little at your memory but sobered his demeanor just as quickly. He took your hand in his and played with your fingers as he went on, “I think what bothered me most was that Jim thought I would ever take away a wedding ceremony if you wanted it. ...Is it what you want?”

You raked your teeth over your lip in thought before you answered.

“Marriage...isn’t something everyone thinks about. It’s not really on as many people’s minds as much as it was a long time ago, but there’s still this idea that if you don’t get married and have a big, fancy fairytale wedding, you’ve missed out on something. You already got that, so you already obviously know the reality of it, but just because you throw a big fat fantasy wedding doesn’t mean it’s going to lead to a happy marriage. I’m not even really into the material aspect of it, anyway...I just didn’t want to bring up bad memories for you just because we tried things the traditional way.” You laced your smaller fingers between his, halting the stroking motion of his hands. “It’s not about the frills, anyway. It’s about how much we love each other.”

“Darlin’,” his voice was soft as his free hand came up to the side of your face and stroked your cheekbone, “now I really feel like I have to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For letting the sweetest girl I ever knew think that a million bad days in the past would keep me from having one perfect day now.”

Curse that man and his Southern charm.

“Leonard,” you said softly, but in truth, you had no idea what to say to that. 

“You’re right about one thing,” he leaned down and kissed your cheek. “I’m not really into the pomp and circumstance, either, but I don’t mind pulling together something simple with the senior officers.”

“I guess that blond ball of energy was at least right that we should probably have some other people there,” you admitted. 

“I guess we’ll just have to talk some more...I suggest over dinner,” he smiled down at you, and you bit your lip with the tiniest smile.

Yes, talking over dinner sounded lovely.

-

“He’s gonna cry. He better cry. If he doesn’t cry, I’m taking away all that contraband booze of his,” Chris decided as she positioned Sulu’s flower in your hair.

“If he doesn’t, Jim will. You know Jim’s going to cry.”

“Okay, but listen. Is Jim getting married to you?”

“You know Bones and Jim come in a package deal, just like Jim and I do,” you smiled. She shook her head, but she was beaming at you. Sure, it wasn’t the most elaborate dress anyone had ever worn, but it was serviceable enough.

(Besides, Bones could enjoy that backless number Jim had shipped up starside some other time.)

Chris covered her mouth with her hands when she stepped back to take all of you in.

“If he doesn’t cry, I’m gonna hurt him.”

“They’re all waiting, Chris,” you nudged her. “I have to go get lined up with Scotty before any of this can get started, you know.”

You squeezed her hand as she handed you your bouquet, before she left you to your thoughts. Your reflection may not have at all been what you expected for this day, but you couldn’t deny how happy you were as you walked to meet Scotty.

And when the doors opened, you smiled at Bones and a wet-eyed Jim at the end of the aisle.

It wasn’t a big white wedding by anyone’s standards, but perhaps it was time for you to write your own fairytale, anyway.


End file.
